What are the best internet deals?

It’s probably fair to say that internet in Australia is lacking by global standards, and compared with other countries pretty expensive for what you get. In this sense, it’s reasonable to assume that people want to get the best deals on their internet wherever possible.

Luckily, month to month you can expect at least a handful of service providers to sweeten the deal on what they already offer and throw in things like free activation, free modems, and discounts and so on. Canstar Blue explores some of the more noteworthy internet deals currently available, as well as what you’ll need to keep in mind if shopping around.

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Internet Deals December 2018

Whether you’ve got an NBN or ADSL connection, there are some great internet deals to be found out there. If you go out hunting, you’ll probably realise that some of the more noteworthy deals are found with providers you may not have heard of, so it pays to do a bit of digging and potentially move away from the bigger providers. You can expect $0 activation, included modems, discounted plans or other perks if you shop around, but there may be a few catches. Let’s see what the providers are doing – hit the links below to see what your preferred carrier is offering:

Exetel Internet Deals

On many of Exetel’s NBN plans, customers stand to receive free activation plus unlimited VoIP home phone calls and a Wi-Fi modem for only $10 a month. Prices for Exetel NBN start at just under $40 for 100GB of data, while the cheapest unlimited deal comes in at just under $55. Note that to waive the modem fee you’ll need to be willing to sign up for 12 months.

iiNet Internet Deals

iiNet has long won Australia over with its customer service and competitively priced internet plans. iiNet has released a deal that includes Fetch TV packages at no extra cost, but how big of a bonus you get depends on your internet plan.

The most common included bonus is available on 24-month plans, which features a Fetch Premium TV bundle plus one entertainment channel pack. This usually costs at least $5-$10 per month on top of your internet plan, so it makes for some solid savings over two years.

Mate Communicate Internet Deals

You may not have heard of Mate Communicate, but you may want to listen up after seeing its plans. It already has some of the cheapest plans in the land, with a dead-simple approach to NBN. You get no contracts and no setup fees, with the only upfront fee being the modem, and even that’s optional.

Mate isn’t running any current offers on its NBN plans, but with competitive pricing and no lock-in contracts, it’s still a provider that’s well worth considering.

Barefoot Telecom Internet Deals

Barefoot is cut from the same cloth as Mate, as Mate owns Barefoot. Barefoot also offers cheap NBN plans, all with unlimited data, and no set-up costs (besides an optional modem). So whether you go Barefoot or Mate, you can’t really put a foot wrong between the two. See what we did there?

Flip Internet Deals

Flip has the notable reputation of having the cheapest unlimited NBN deals across three speed tiers, and that in itself is a deal. But sign up before 31 December, 2018, and you can score a monthly discount of up to $10 on your Flip NBN plan for your first three months of service.

For under $50 per month, you can get unlimited data on Flip’s NBN 12 plan. For NBN 25 plans, you’ll pay just $54.90, and for fast NBN 50 speeds you’ll pay $59.90 per month. After three months, these prices will go up by $5 (for the Value 12 plan ) or $10 (for Family 25 and Fast 50 plans), but again, you’re free to shop around. All Flip plans are available on a month-to-month basis, and all setup costs are waived through to 31 December, 2018.

Flip also allows you to add on international TV packs from about $12.95 a month, offering channels from a variety of countries across Europe and South America. So if you’ve ever wanted to watch Macedonian TV, Flip TV could be a great pathway into getting cultured.

Telstra Internet Deals

Telstra has re-jigged and simplified its plan offerings lately. It has lowered the price of its unlimited data plan to $89, and for extra goodies thrown in you’ll pay $99 a month.

The $99 bundle includes Foxtel Now for 24 months, with your choice of one Starter Pack: choose from Entertainment, Docos, Drama or a Kids bundle. Foxtel Now enables you to watch on up to 5 devices, streaming on two at the same time. This $99 deal also includes Telstra TV.

Vodafone Internet Deals

As the last of the ‘Big 3’ telco networks in Australia to offer internet plans, Vodafone has come out racing. Unlimited data on NBN 50 is just $69 per month, and the option is there for a no lock-in contract. For new customers who already have a postpaid Vodafone mobile plan, there are periodical discounts and bonus offers that apply if you bundle both internet and mobile plans. Vodafone has historically offered up to a year’s worth of free Netflix with its plans – don’t be surprised to see it again.

Vodafone’s plans are month-to-month, with an $180 upfront for the Wi-Fi hub. Every month you stay on, you get a $5 rebate on your plan; this means that over 36 months, you pay $0 for the Wi-Fi hub.

Dodo Internet Deals

Dodo has been around for a while now and is known as the ‘internet that flies’. Now, it also has some competitive NBN deals across a variety of speed tiers. Dodo rejigged its plan offerings recently, and now lays claim to unlimited data for $60 a month. Dodo also provides incentive for 24-month plans, waiving setup fees and other associated upfront costs that the one-month plans get slugged with. Dodo also provides Fetch TV deals from an extra $15 a month on its plans.

iPrimus Internet Deals

As part of the Vocus Communications group, iPrimus offers some pretty competitive plans over an ADSL2+ or NBN connection. For a limited time, iPrimus sweetens the deal and offers rewards for signing up for 24 months. You can opt for either a national call pack, or 2000 minutes to selected countries. You’ll also get one month free, applied to the third bill.

iPrimus offers unlimited data from $70 a month, but keep in mind to get the best deals you’ll need to be signed up for two years. You can also add Fetch TV to your account on iPrimus’ NBN & entertainment bundles.

Southern Phone Internet Deals

Southern Phone is a telco that gives back to rural and regional councils. It also has a suite of very competitive mobile plans, and some competitive NBN plans as well. NBN plans are available on Basic, Standard Plus, and Premium speed tiers, with prices beginning from $60 per month for unlimited data. All plans are available contract-free and month-to-month, and compatible modems are also available.

MyRepublic Internet Deals

MyRepublic caused a stir when it first released in Australia in 2016, and since then has been providing pretty competitive unlimited NBN Deals. Currently, the telco is running a limited-time promotion on its four Unlimited Essential plans, offering each plans at a reduced price of $62.95 per month (normally $69.99) until 10 January, 2019. This includes the no-contract and 12-month Essential plans, and both contract-free and 12-month Unlimited Essential Bundles featuring home phone.

MyRepublic also offer several Gamer’ plans, with static IP addresses and other perks to enhance the gaming experience. MyRepublic has in the past offered discount vouchers for gaming mouses, PlayStations, VR Headsets and other tech goodies, so it pays to keep an eye out.

Start Broadband Internet Deals

Start is one of the smaller telcos in this list, but it has an offer that may convince you to sign up with them. While not the cheapest telco out there – Start’s unlimited data starts at about $75 a month – it does have no lock-in contract options, and this month you can go faster on your NBN for less.

Until the end of December, Start is waiving all setup costs for month-to-month NBN customers (normally $59.95). You can also add a Start Gateway to your plan for $139.95 upfront, but BYO modem options are also available.

Optus Internet Deals

Optus offers unlimited data on all NBN plans, with both Standard Plus (NBN 50) and Premium (NBN 100) speeds available. Customers can choose from its NBN-only plans with no added extras, or entertainment packages which include Fetch TV, one channel pack, and Optus Sport. If you sign up for a two-year contract, you’ll pay $99 upfront, while month-to-month customers will need to pay a $200 setup charge.

Foxtel Internet Deals

Foxtel now bundles broadband in with its pay TV service, and it offers pretty exciting deals. Foxtel regularly waives setup fees and contracts, meaning if you purchase at the right time, all you’ll have to pay upfront will be the first month’s plan fee. However, these deals come and go periodically, so you’ll have to be on your toes. Foxtel’s total installation fees can be upwards of $400 (including the iQ3 box, installation, activation, and more), so this is a serious discount.

Until 24 December, 2018, Foxtel is offering to waive both the standard TV installation fee, and the 1Q4 box fee – meaning new customers can save a total of $225. You’ll also get your first month on a 24-month contract at a reduced price.

What’s the deal with these internet deals?

The hottest trend with the best internet deals at the moment seems to be offering entertainment packs and discounts to help the budget. Often entertainment packs are additional cost burdens when signing up to a new plan – some to the tune of $10 or more per month. If you’re after a new plan but concerned about the massive upfront cost, choosing a provider offering these deals may be the way to go. Other providers also offer discounts to entice you over, but you’ll have to keep in mind when taking advantage of these deals:

Deals & discounts may only be available for the first few months of a plan

More notable deals are often only found on 24-month contract plans

Other providers offer free set-up and free modems as standard, so these deals may not be as good as they sound

All in all, while these deals sound great, there are sometimes a number of hoops to jump through. It never hurts to compare, though, and before choosing a new provider it pays to see how they stack up alongside other plans.

The amount of data the provider has advertised for the billing period of their plan.

Billing periods usually range from 28 to 31 days, but can vary - contact the provider for the billing period costs and inclusions.

Actual product inclusions can be found on the provider’s website.

^^Advertised Cost/Billing Period

The advertised cost the provider has advertised for the billing period of the plan.

Billing periods usually range from 28 to 31 days, but can vary - contact the provider for the billing period costs and inclusions.

Actual product inclusions can be found on the provider’s website.

The search results do not include all providers or products, and may not compare all features relevant to you.

By clicking on a plan name, brand logo, 'arrow' button, 'go to site' or 'details' button, you may leave Canstar Blue and be taken to a referral partner website. You agree that Canstar Blue’s Referral Terms apply to this referral.

Advertised data (per billing, and monthly cost as shown in the table may not be the same as the amounts per billing period. Contact Provider for the billing period costs and inclusions.

Some providers may cap the provision of unlimited data at maximum speed. Once this cap is reached the provider will then revert you to a slower speed. See providers website for more details.

By clicking on a brand, 'go to site' or ‘details’ button, you will leave Canstar Blue and be taken to our referral partner to compare. Canstar Blue may be paid for this referral. You agree that Canstar Blue’s terms and conditions apply to this referral.

To our knowledge, all information in articles on the Canstar Blue website was correct at the time of publication. This information may have changed over time. Refer to the product fact sheet (or relevant similar documentation) before making any purchase decision. Canstar Blue's website terms and conditions apply.